Colors
COLORS
“Ding.” That all too familiar tone plays again, signaling all marines that are on base and in uniform to snap to the position of attention. At 0800(8:00AM) every day, all marines in uniform that are wearing a cover must stop whatever they are doing, get to the position of attention, and salute to the raising of the American flag. Morning colors is a very significant part of every marine’s day. It is a custom and courtesy that is also one of our many military traditions.
Morning and evening colors are a very important aspect of each marine’s day. During the day, it is played at 0800. Before colors, there is another tune that plays titles “attention” which is rung to let everybody on base know that colors is about to play. The reason that colors is played at 8 in the morning is "Following the 1797 mutinies in the British fleet at Spithead, Admiral Lord St. Vincent established the practice in the Royal Navy of raising and lowering the colors--the ensign and jack--at a formal ceremony with the band and guard of the day paraded. The practice was taken up by the U.S. Navy from an early date and first codified in the 1843 Rules and Regulations for the Government of the Navy. At first, the time of morning colors was based on the time of sunset; if the sun set before 6:00 p.m., morning colors took place at 8:00 a.m., otherwise at 9:00 a.m. This conformed to the contemporary British practice. The modern practice of making morning colors at 8:00 a.m. regardless of season and latitude was set by regulation in 1870." The tune that is played for colors is called “to the colors”. While this is playing, all marines will snap to the position of attention and salute the flag while it is being raised. If you are not in uniform or are not wearing a cover, than you will only go to the position of attention, and not salute. Not only does colors honor the American flag to the top of the flagpole, is also honors all of the brave Americans who have died wearing our
“Ding.” That all too familiar tone plays again, signaling all marines that are on base and in uniform to snap to the position of attention. At 0800(8:00AM) every day, all marines in uniform that are wearing a cover must stop whatever they are doing, get to the position of attention, and salute to the raising of the American flag. Morning colors is a very significant part of every marine’s day. It is a custom and courtesy that is also one of our many military traditions.
Morning and evening colors are a very important aspect of each marine’s day. During the day, it is played at 0800. Before colors, there is another tune that plays titles “attention” which is rung to let everybody on base know that colors is about to play. The reason that colors is played at 8 in the morning is "Following the 1797 mutinies in the British fleet at Spithead, Admiral Lord St. Vincent established the practice in the Royal Navy of raising and lowering the colors--the ensign and jack--at a formal ceremony with the band and guard of the day paraded. The practice was taken up by the U.S. Navy from an early date and first codified in the 1843 Rules and Regulations for the Government of the Navy. At first, the time of morning colors was based on the time of sunset; if the sun set before 6:00 p.m., morning colors took place at 8:00 a.m., otherwise at 9:00 a.m. This conformed to the contemporary British practice. The modern practice of making morning colors at 8:00 a.m. regardless of season and latitude was set by regulation in 1870." The tune that is played for colors is called “to the colors”. While this is playing, all marines will snap to the position of attention and salute the flag while it is being raised. If you are not in uniform or are not wearing a cover, than you will only go to the position of attention, and not salute. Not only does colors honor the American flag to the top of the flagpole, is also honors all of the brave Americans who have died wearing our